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Recycle Cooking Oil into Fuel and Prevent Costly Sewer Clogs

Oct 31 2016

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The holiday cooking season is approaching. If you’re planning on deep frying a turkey, or anything else for that matter, make sure to avoid costly mistakes, and a visit from the plumber, by properly disposing of kitchen F.O.G. (Fats, Oils, and Grease). When improperly disposed of down household sinks, cooking oil and fats can build up in our pipes, much like it does in our arteries, and lead to a back up. According to the EPA, FOG causes a full 47% of sewer backups nationally. Even small amounts of grease and oil can cause a problem over time. Back in 2014, London had to clear out a 15-ton clog in municipal pipes, dubbed the “fatburg”.

This problem was on SCARCE’s radar so in 2013, we began working to create a solution for DuPage County residents. What started as a one-day cooking oil collection event expanded to several year-round collection locations.

It’s easy to do your part

Hang on to your used liquid cooking oil. Allow it to cool, pour it into a container with a lid and bring it to a drop off location. We recommend holding onto the container it came in for this purpose.

Here are some additional tips for handling F.O.G.

For larger amounts of grease or animal fat (ie the stuff that solidifies at room temperature), allow it to cool and pour it into a plastic container with a lid. We store ours under the sink until it’s full, then we place it in the trash.

When cleaning up, scrape leftover food into the trash, don’t send it down the sink. Saves water and prevents trace fats from clogging your pipes.

After allowing pans to cool, wipe them out with a rag or paper towel before you wash them to remove excess fat and oil.

“There’s gold in them thar’ fryers!”

Used cooking oil is actually a valuable commodity, nowhere near the value of actual gold, but enough so that reports of cooking oil thieves have popped up. Next time you fry, think of it as “panning for gold”. Collect your liquid cooking oil and recycle it. Your pipes, and the planet, will thank you.